Twice Charmed
by Nightcrawler8
Summary: In 2031, three cousins find a book of witchcraft in the attic of their mothers' house. Little do they know that they are about to begin their destiny as the next Charmed Ones...
1. The Power of Three

Twice Charmed

(This is the first episode in a new series that will continue the plotline begun in "Lineage."  The timeline for this first episode is approximately 2031, twenty five years after the events of "The Importance of Being Human."  For clarification, the main characters, including some characters I introduced in my first series, are Prudence Melinda Halliwell, daughter of Michael and Phoebe; Penelope Anne Halliwell, daughter of Leo and Piper; and Patricia Elizabeth Matthews, daughter of Glenn and Paige.)

CHAPTER 1:  The Power of Three

            Two figures stood atop the Empire State Building, admiring the view from a structure that had become a cornerstone of human achievement.  One locked brown eyes to the horizon, as though trying to search for an answer to questions that had been plaguing him for a generation.  The other turned blue eyes down to the city below, thinking to the hard road ahead.

            Michael Smith sighed heavily, the burden of his calling weighing heavily upon him.  "It's time," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

            Cole Turner faced his cousin, his expression impassive.  "Yes, indeed it is," he replied.

            "I still wish this didn't have to happen," Michael said.  "I can't bear the thought of seeing history repeat itself, not like that..."

            "It isn't your fault, Michael, or mine," Cole said gravely.  "We had no way of knowing, considering the projected futures we'd been shone.  And this time, we'll make sure that such a catastrophe cannot happen again."

            Michael nodded in acquiescence.  "So it must be," he said in a stronger voice.  "The mantle of the Charmed Ones shall rise once more, ever vigilant, and ready to combat the forces of darkness."

****

            _"__Paging Dr.__ Halliwell, you have a phone call...paging Dr. Halliwell, you have a phone call..."_

            Prudence Melinda Halliwell looked up from her microscope with relief.  She'd been sitting here for hours, watching for any sign that the new experimental serum was having some kind of effect on the virus, but no apparent effect was visible.

            As she walked down the hall from the Microbiology Lab down to one of the receptionists' posts, Prue remarked on how much she enjoyed her work, despite the long hours.  As far back as she could remember, Prue had always been interested in medicine.  Finding ways to cure disease, to heal people, was something that Prue felt she'd been born for.  For a moment, a memory from a childhood long gone surfaced, of playing doctor with her dolls and...Prue squashed the memory before the pain it was sure to carry along was able to rise.

            "Good evening, Dr. Halliwell," said the receptionist, handing her the phone.

            "Thank you, Grace," said Prue as she accepted the phone.  "Dr. Halliwell speaking," she said into the receiver.

            _"Dr. Halliwell, this is Ben Belthzor.  I'm an attorney with the law firm Jackman, Carter, and Kline," said a male voice on the other end._

            "I hope your client isn't planning to sue for malpractice," Prue said with a slight chuckle.

            The man laughed heartily.  _"On the contrary, Dr. Halliwell," he continued.  __"In fact, the reason why I'm calling isn't medically related at all.  I'm calling in regards to a property located at __1329 Prescott Street__."_

            Prue's throat tightened painfully for a moment.  "What about it?" she asked in a carefully controlled voice.

            _"Well," the man continued, __"I have legal documents that cede one-third of the property to you.  The other two-thirds are to be ceded to your cousins, Penelope Anne Halliwell and Patricia Elizabeth Matthews."_

            "Um, who signed the documents?" Prue asked.

            _"Let me see here...ah, yes.  The documents were signed by a Michael Smith...your father, if my notes here are correct," said the man._

            Prue had gripped the countertop so tightly that her knuckles had whitened.  She fought to control the anger inside as she asked, "When were these documents prepared?"

            _"Actually, that's one of the interesting things about this," the attorney continued.  _"The documents were drawn up almost fifteen years ago."__

            Prue took several deep breaths in an effort to calm down.  Thinking about her childhood was always painful, but thinking of her father was the worst, because the most clear memories – and most painful memories – seemed to be linked to him.  For reasons she couldn't even fathom or remember, she and her two cousins were given over to the care of the State of California when she was twelve.  The resentment over a seemingly abrupt abandonment had not faded in those years.

            Prue hadn't realized she'd drifted off until she heard the voice on the other end of the phone saying, _"Dr. Halliwell, are you still there?"_

            "Yes, I'm sorry," she apologized.  "I was distracted.  What were you saying?"

            _"I was just saying that you don't have to sign anything.  All the papers have already been processed.  The only thing I need to know is if and when you'll be taking official residence in the Manor.  There's a caretaker who's been maintaining the place since your father left, and I just need to let him know when you'll be coming," the attorney explained._

            Prue swallowed nervously.  She wondered why her past suddenly had to catch up with her like this.  Whatever the reason, it was a chance to finally find out why her father had cut her out of his life the way he did.  She replied, "I'll need to talk to my cousins first, as I'm sure that they'll want to be with me when I go there."

            _"I understand perfectly," the attorney said.  __"My number is 555-9032 extension 890."_

            "Ok, got it," confirmed Prue.  "Thank you for your call, Mr. Belthzor.  Good night," she said.

****

            Miles across town, Cole Turner said, "Good night, Dr. Halliwell," as he hung up the phone.

****

            As Penelope Anne Halliwell got out of her car and looked at the old Victorian style house, she reflected how ironic it seemed to be back here.  Like her mother before her, Penny had inherited excellent culinary skills, only she never once swayed from her chosen profession.  Her education had taken her on a scholarship to the best French cooking schools in Paris, and her recipes had started to attract major attention.  Yet, all it took was one phone call, and Penny felt herself inexplicably drawn back to the house where she'd spent the better part of ten years.

            She spotted her younger cousin, Patricia Elizabeth Matthews, parking her car just up the street.  Being the youngest of the three, Patti's memories of this place were not quite as clear, but it seemed that she too had been drawn to some of the same interests as her mother.  Although quite a good painter in her own right, Patti had chosen to follow her mother's other artistic talent and become a singer.  Despite the fact that her career had yet to take off, she worked the clubs and earned her keep, hoping to be able to record someday.

            As the cousins spotted each other, they broke into broad grins.  Penny and Patti embraced warmly.  "It's so good to see you," said Penny.

            "You, too," replied Patti.  "It's been so long..."

            "Nine years, give or take," said another voice.  Both girls turned to see Prue standing on the front steps.  She smiled as her younger cousins rushed up the path to give her big hugs.  "Easy, I'm only human," she said as they squeezed her a little too tight.

            "We just missed you so much," said Penny.

            "Like I could miss our 'Fearless Leader,'" Patti joked.  Penny and Prue giggled.  As teenagers, the three had shared many interesting times together, and Prue, as the oldest, had of course assumed the leading position in whatever they did.  "So, are we going to stand out here all day?" she quipped.

            "You know, it's strange," said Penny.  "All these years, and suddenly, we find out that Uncle Michael left us the Manor.  What do you think is going on?"

            "I don't know," Prue said distantly, "but I intend to find out."

****

            Zack Malone looked around the foyer of the Manor and smiled at his work.  He'd worked as quickly as possible to get the Manor ready for its new inhabitants, and it looked better than it had in years.

            A knock on the front door altered him to their arrival.  Zack quickly went to the front door and opened it...and froze in absolute shock.

            Staring up at him was the most beautiful face he'd ever seen.  In his view, the face was a work of art, with smooth cheeks, hazel eyes, and light brown hair.  The girl seemed amused by his evident staring, and emitted a small giggle.

            Zack shook himself, remembering his role here.  "Welcome home, ladies," he said.  "I'm Zack Malone, the caretaker."

            "I'm Penny," the hazel-eyed girl introduced herself.  "This is my older cousin Prue, and my younger cousin, Patti," she added.

            "It's very nice to meet all of you," said Zack.  "Come on in."  He moved out of the way so that the girls could enter.

            As Prue looked around, she felt goosebumps rising on her skin.  Being back in this place after so many years stirred the unpleasantness she'd tried to move past so long ago back to the surface.  Her chocolate eyes found a group of pictures on the wall.  In one she saw her mother and Aunt Piper, and her Aunt Prue, her namesake, whom she'd never had the pleasure of meeting.  She saw strength in those blue eyes, strength she found reflected in her own.  She moved on to another, and her breath caught in her throat.  It was a picture of her mother and father from their wedding.  Prue felt tears trickling down her cheeks.  They both looked so happy together.  What had gone wrong?  Why had her mother and aunts just seemingly vanished?  Try as she might, Prue nor her cousins could remember anything from that dark time.

            Penny came up behind Prue and put her arms on her shoulders.  "You ok?" she asked.

            Prue wiped her eyes.  "I'll be ok," she said.  "I guess being back here will take some getting used to."

            "I'm sure you guys don't need it," Zack said, "but do you need a tour?"

            "No," said Patti.  "I think we remember this place well enough."

            "Ok, then," Zack said.  "I'll leave you girls alone, then.  I have to get back to my apartment.  I'll be back tomorrow, so I'll see you then," he said as he walked to the front door.

            "Bye, Zack," said Penny.

            Zack looked back and smiled at her.  "Bye, Penny," he replied as he shut the door.

            Prue and Patti giggled.  "See something you like, cousin?" Patti asked.

            "Oh, yeah..." said Penny dreamily.

            Prue burst out laughing.  Some things never changed.  "Come on," she said.  "Let's take a look around."

            The girls split up into different directions.  Penny navigated right into the kitchen, and was pleased to find the pantry fully stocked.  There would definitely be some cooking going on tonight.

            Patti had found her way into her mother's room, where many of her paintings were still hanging.  She ran her hands over the canvas, feeling the texture of the brushstrokes.

            Meanwhile, Prue had found her way up to the attic.  A vague memory came to mind.  She could see her mother and aunts, and they were saying something.  A monstrous form of some sort was standing across from them, growling.  As they finished speaking, the monster seemed to howl in pain, and suddenly burst into flames.  Prue shook her head, trying to figure out what it meant.  Her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the attic door.

            Inside, she found the expected old junk that one tends to find in an attic.  However, there were other things that seemed a little out of the ordinary.  On one table, there were various jars of herbs, and small vials filled with a multitude of colored liquids.  She found her eyes drawn to a pedestal that faced opposite the window.  A cloth was covering something resting on it.  Prue walked over and carefully removed the cloth to reveal a book.

            It was unlike any book she'd ever seen before.  It was very thick, and the paper seemed of a type not used in several hundred years.  A symbol of three rings intersecting, bound by a circle, was imprinted on the top.  Slowly, reverently, Prue opened the book to the first page.

            _Book of Shadows._

            Prue stared down at the page with a strange feeling in her stomach.  What was this thing?  She turned to the next page.  As she read silently through it, her eyes widened with shock.

            It was a spell.

            The implications of what this meant were mind boggling, yet at the same time seemed to make sense on an unconscious level.

            "Um...GUYS?" she yelled down the stairs.  Penny and Patti ran into the attic.

            "What is it?" Penny asked curiously.  As Prue showed her the Book, her eyes grew huge.  "Unreal," she breathed.

            "Why do you think this is here?" Patti asked.

            "I wish I knew," Prue said.  "Hey...do you think I should read it?" she added with a small grin.

            Penny and Patti looked at each other and smiled.  "Why not?" said Penny.  "Go ahead, just for fun."

            Prue smiled at her cousins, and then read the spell out loud.

_Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night.  
The oldest of gods are invoked here; the great work of magic is sought.  
In this night, and in this hour, I call upon the ancient power.  
Bring your powers to we cousins three; we want the power, give us the power._

            As Prue finished reading the spell, she felt something changing in her.  Energy of some kind was coursing through her, and it felt strange and familiar all at the same time.  Looking at the shocked expressions on her cousins' faces, she knew that they must have felt it too.

            "Did you guys..." she started but trailed off as they nodded.

            "Do you think...that was for real?" Penny almost whispered.

            Prue swallowed nervously.  She couldn't bring herself to answer that question, because once she did, there would be no turning back.  Things would never be the same again.

****

            Michael Smith looked up and sighed.  "It's begun," he said.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. The Darkness

CHAPTER 2:  The Darkness

            In the cover of night, a figure observed the Halliwell Manor from across the street.  He had felt the presence of new witches in the city, and Rick wanted to be the warlock to bag them.  After all, it was better to get them while still new to their powers than before they figured out how to trigger them.  Giving one last look at the Manor, Rick blinked out.

****

            Penny yawned as she came down the stairs.  She had a lot of trouble falling to sleep the night before, especially considering the events of the day.  The cousins had all been a little freaked out from finding the Book of Shadows and from the rush of energy they all felt from reading the spell.  Although each of them was denying it, they all knew that things had changed.

            Penny walked into the kitchen to see Prue reading the Book of Shadows.  "Morning, Prue," she said sleepily.

            "Hey," Prue replied, not taking her eyes off the Book.

            "Anything interesting in that thing?" Penny asked.

            "I suppose that's one way of putting it," Prue replied.  "According to the Book of Shadows, we are descended from a witch named Melinda Warren."

            "You know, most people would think that's absolutely crazy, but for some reason, I don't," Penny said ominously.

            "Yeah, me too," Prue agreed.  "Anyway, the Book goes on to say that she was burned at the stake in Salem, but just before she died, she vowed that each generation of Warren witches following her would become more powerful, culminating in the appearance of three sisters, who would be the most powerful witches the world had ever seen, known as the Charmed Ones."

            "That must be a misprint," said Patti, as she walked into the kitchen.  "We're cousins, not sisters."

            "The Book wasn't talking about us," Prue explained.  "It was talking about our mothers.  They were the Charmed Ones."

            "What else does the Book say?" Penny asked.

            "Well, it says that Melinda had three powers:  premonition, telekinesis, and time freezing.  However," she said pointing down at the bottom of the page, "somebody must have added on to this entry, because it has the details of our mothers' powers.  My mom had premonition and developed levitation later on.  Penny, your mom could freeze time, but that really meant slowing down molecules, and it developed so she could speed them up, effectively blowing things up.  Patti, your mom had a special form of telekinesis where she could call objects to her and she also had a transportation ability called orbing."

            "So, that means that we inherited these powers from our mothers?" Patti questioned.

            "Looks like it," Prue said.  "Honestly though, other than that rush of energy last night, I really don't feel any different.  Do you?"

            "Not really," Penny answered.

            "Me neither," Patti replied.  "I guess that if nothing happens, then maybe it was just for fun, something our mothers made up."

            "Yeah," Prue said indistinctly.  In her heart, she believed that all of this was for real.  Something in her told her that this wasn't just fantasy, that magic really did exist.  "Anyway," she said, shaking herself, "I've got to get to work, so I'll see you guys tonight?"

            "Sure," said Patti.  "I've got to get down to this studio anyway."

            "See you two later," Penny said as her cousins walked back upstairs to get ready to leave.

****

            Michael walked away from the pool of seeing and sat down next to Cole.  "It's amazing, how it's all starting so similarly," he commented.

            "But it will be different," Cole reminded him.  "They're already more powerful than their mothers were when they first received their powers, and they'll grow even more.  You and I both know that already."

            "Very true," Michael agreed.  "I imagine the pattern of attacks will be much the same as well."

            "Starting with the bottom up, of course," Cole mentioned.  "We made sure it would be that way."

            "You mean HE made sure it would be that way," Michael corrected him.  He sighed as he walked back over to the pool of seeing.

****

            "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Dr. Halliwell," said Mrs. Hansen.

            "It's no problem at all, Mrs. Hansen," said Prue.  "What's the problem?"

            "I've been feeling very itchy lately," Mrs. Hansen explained.  "I'm not sure if it's a rash or not, because I haven't seen anything at all."

            "Well, let's take a look," Prue said.  Mrs. Hansen unclasped the cuff of her shirt and held out her arm.  As Prue placed her hands on Mrs. Hansen's arm, she gasped as images started to appear in her mind.

            _"I'm sorry, Mr. Hansen," said Prue, "but I'm afraid your wife is dead."_

_            Mr. Hansen rubbed the back of his neck.  "I should have known, with diabetes being in her family."_

_            "We may have been able to stop it, if we'd caught it sooner..."_

            With a sudden jerk, Prue came out of the premonition.

            "Is something wrong, Dr. Halliwell?" Mrs. Hansen asked.

            Prue swallowed and said, "I'm not sure.  Just out of curiosity, Mrs. Hansen, is there a history of diabetes in your family?"

            "Actually, yes there is," Mrs. Hansen answered.  "My grandfather and my mother both had it.  Why do you ask?"

            "Well, itchiness can be a symptom of the onset of diabetes," Prue explained.  "I'm going to take a blood sample just to be sure."  As Prue went to get a needle, she realized that she had just proven to herself that everything in the Book of Shadows was true...she was a witch.

****

            Penny sat on the front porch, pen and notepad at hand as she tried to think up new recipes.  She glanced up to see a car coming down the street, and at the same time a child ran out into the street, oblivious to the oncoming car.

            "OH MY GOD!" she yelled, leaping to her feet.  On instinct, she brought her hands up and waved at the boy to try to get him to move.  Suddenly, the scene came to an abrupt halt.

            "What the hell?" Penny said as she surveyed the scene.  With slight apprehension, she looked down at her hands.  _The power to freeze..._ "Oh, shit...I'm froze them," she breathed.  Taking a look inside the car, she noticed that the driver hadn't noticed the boy, so she quickly went down and moved the child out of the car's way.  She ran back up onto the porch, and cautiously gestured again.  The scene unfroze, and the car went on its way while the boy picked up the ball he had chased into the street.  Neither one knew what had transpired, nor would they.

            "Phew!" Penny gasped, sitting on the porch.  "Well, no one ever said being a witch wouldn't be stressful."

****

            "You sure this one will work?" Patti asked.

            "This is good material, kid," said Ray, her contact at the studio.  "Trust me, you'll hit the big time soon enough."

            "Ok," Patti said with a sigh.  It was becoming harder to compose as it seemed so many of her songs were not getting good reception from the record companies.

            "We're getting ready to start, Miss Matthews," came a voice over the room's PA.

            "Ok," she replied.  She realized she didn't have her microphone.  "Just one sec."  She looked around, and sighed in frustration.  "Where the hell is that microphone?"  Suddenly, the microphone appeared in her hands in a swirl of blue-white orbs.  "Whoa..." she breathed.

            "Miss Matthews?" the voice questioned.

            She cleared her throat.  "Yeah, anytime you're ready," she replied.  They must not have noticed what happened.  As the music to her song started to come in over the loudspeakers, she thought, 'Hmmm...I wonder if being a witch is a good prerequisite for a singer.'

****

            "Well, you won't believe what happened to me today!" Prue yelled as she came into the Manor.

            "Let me guess...you had a vision?" asked Penny.

            "Yeah, and it ended up saving a patient's life, too," she added.  "You froze something?"

            "Yup," Penny replied.  "Saved a kid from getting hit by a car."

            "Well, mine sounds kind of dull compared to those," said Patti as she came in the still open front door.  "I called for my microphone, and it appeared in my hands."

            "Well, I guess that settles it," said Prue.  "We're witches."

            "Hey, Pen, did you do anymore reading in the Book while we were gone?" Patti asked.

            "Yeah," she said.  "As the Charmed Ones, we have a big responsibility.  We have to protect the innocent and fight Evil."

            "What kind of Evil?" Prue asked.

            "Hmmm..." Penny said, flipping through the Book to the appropriate spot.  "Well, there are demons, LOTS of demons, for starters, and...ok, here we go.  It turns out that witches can be good or evil.  Evil witches are called warlocks.  The only problem is that most of these demons and warlocks can look human when they want to."

            "Well, that puts us at a disadvantage, then," Prue commented.

            "Indeed it does," said a new voice.  The cousins turned to see Rick standing in front of them.

            "Who the hell are you?" Patti asked defiantly.

            Rick sneered.  "I've come for your powers, witches.  Now, why don't you just hold still and make it easy on yourselves."  He gestured, and an athame appeared in his hand.

            "Not so fast, pal," said Prue, moving forward.  As it happened, Prue had found an interest in martial arts classes much like her mother did, and she was adequately skilled.  She started to execute a jump kick, and was surprised when she felt herself rise into the air midway through the kick.  She hit Rick squarely in the chin, and finished the maneuver in a back-flip that landed her on her feet.  "I guess that was levitation," she said sheepishly.

            "Now you've pissed me off," Rick snarled, moving again.

            "My turn," said Penny.  She gestured to freeze Rick, but to her surprise one of his arms suddenly exploded.  "Well, I guess that works, too."

            "AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" he screamed.  "I WILL KILL YOU!"  He threw the athame at Patti.  She let out a yelp, and was just as shocked as her cousins when she dissolved into blue-white orbs and reappeared.

            "Orbing, check," she said breathlessly.

            "Ok, hold it!" Penny said, this time freezing Rick to the spot.  "Prue, you see any spells in there for killing warlocks?"

            "This book is HUGE!  How are we expected to find..."  She cut herself off as the pages of the Book began turning on their own.  "How the hell did that happen?"

            "Beats the hell out of me," Penny said.  At the same time, the pages stopped moving.

            "The Power of Three," Prue read.

            _To our beautiful daughters...as you embrace your new destiny, know that we will always be watching over you.  May this Book give you the light to find the shadows.  Remember, the Power of Three will set you free._

_Your__ loving mothers,  
Piper, Phoebe, and Paige_

            "What do you make of that?" Patti asked.

            "I think I've got it," Prue said.  "Say this with me and repeat it:  the Power of Three will set us free."  Her cousins gave her quizzical looks, but turned toward Rick and said with Prue:

            _The Power of Three will set us free._

            Rick unfroze and began to scream in pain as a wind began swirling through the room.  "You may have stopped me, but you can't stop us all!  In time, we will kill you all, and be masters of this world!"  He then exploded in a flash.

            "Well, there's something you don't see everyday," Prue commented.

            "You know, I don't know if you guys noticed this or not, but I'm really not at all freaked out by this," Patti said.  "I mean, we should be but we're not."

            "Yeah, that is pretty weird," Penny agreed.

            "I wonder why that is?" Prue mused.  As though in answer to her question, all three girls were suddenly plunged into long suppressed memories.

****

            _"Hello, girls," said Michael.  "You won't remember this conversation until your powers are unbound again, but you need to know the truth.  You are witches, special witches with special powers.  I trust that this knowledge will help you in your journey and help you understand the radical changes that will occur."_

_            The three young girls looked at him with strange shock on their faces, as though they barely registered what he said.  Michael sighed, and with a wave of his hand, said, "Forget."_

****

            The cousins gasped as they returned to themselves.  "I don't believe it," Prue said, a slight edge to her voice.  "He made us forget what we were."

            "Why would he do that?" Patti asked.

            "To protect us," Penny said gravely.  As her cousins turned to look at her, she continued, "That was something else I found in the Book.  As long as our powers were dormant, no evil beings attacked us.  Uncle Michael wanted to make sure that we were safe until we were old enough to take on this responsibility."

            Prue sighed and nodded.  "Well, I guess we've got a long road ahead of us, in that case."

            "Do you think we'll make it through this?" Patti asked.

            "As long as we stick together, we're unstoppable," Prue said confidently.

****

            Michael looked over a largely exaggerated chess board.  On one side, three white pieces in the forms of young women stood, ready for battle.  On the other, a host of creatures of darkness faced them down.  Michael gestured at the board, and one of the pieces vanished in a burst of smoke.  He cast an ominous glance at a hooded figure near the back of the black pieces before turning away...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Personal Gain

CHAPTER 3:  Personal Gain

            Prue walked down the halls of the hospital with her clipboard in hand, though her thoughts were definitely not on the job today.  At first, the change that had taken place and the events that followed it had happened so fast that she had no time to process it.  Now that things had, for the moment, quieted down, she had finally begun to process everything.

            She was a witch.

            Not just any old witch – a Charmed One.

            And her cousins were as well.

            Protectors of the innocent, they were warriors of Good, fighting against the forces of darkness.

            'I wonder if you can put "Charmed One" on a resume,' she mused.

            Prue knew that as the oldest, her cousins would probably be looking up to her to be the leader, as she had done when they were younger.  However, when she was younger they only got themselves into small amounts of mischief with the people in charge of their orphanage.  Leading her cousins into battle to use their powers against demons and warlocks was going to be a much harder job to manage.

            As Prue walked into the waiting room, she temporarily managed to banish thoughts of her supernatural side to the back of her mind and focus on her "real" job.  "Cindy Stevens?" she read off her chart.

            A small girl who had a look on her face which clearly indicated she didn't like being here rose from a chair.  She was accompanied by another woman with a stern look on her face.  "This is Cindy," the woman said.  "I'm her social worker."

            "I'm Dr. Halliwell," Prue introduced herself.

            "Cind, you be good for Dr. Halliwell, ok?" the woman warned her.

            "Yes, Mrs. Ross," Cindy mumbled.  She turned and followed Prue into her examination room.

****

            Patti grumbled as she pushed her cart-full of groceries to the check-out of the supermarket.  'Why do I always get stuck with the grunt work?' she thought.

            "Give me all the money in the register," a voice snarled in front of her.

            Patti looked up to see a gruff-looking man pointing a gun at a now very frightened cashier.  "Ok, man, just take it easy," she stammered.

            Patti thought furiously.  She had to do something; she couldn't just let this happen.  Suddenly, an idea formed, and she grinned.  Very quietly, she said, "Gun."

            The gun orbed out of the man's hand, and Patti directed it to land on the floor next to him.  The man's eyes widened and the split-second hesitation was all the cashier needed to slam a fist into his face.  The man slumped to the floor.  "Jimmy, call the police!" said the cashier.

            As Patti pushed her cart to the line, she said, 'I think I could get used to this.'

****

            "So, you're an orphan?" Prue asked as she finished her examination.

            "What's it to you?" Cindy snapped.

            Prue smiled and asked, "How old are you?"

            "Twelve," Cindy answered.

            "Well, when I was your age, my dad gave me up for adoption, too," Prue said.  "I remember being like you.  I hated the world for what had happened.  But you know something?  I look back now and I realize that it didn't make things any easier on me to be so bitter.  So, try to have a better outlook on this.  Trust me.  As long as you can find a positive in all of this, things will turn out fine."

            Cindy sniffed.  Prue's words had touched a nerve, but she was glad to have found an adult she could relate to.  "Thanks," she said quietly.  She held out her hand.

            "You're welcome," Prue replied as she reached out to shake Cindy's hand.  As she did, Prue was suddenly jerked into a premonition.

            _"Get away from me!" Cindy yelled.  "Somebody help!"_

_            "It's too late my dear," said a dark figure.  It extended its hand, which had a glowing skull on it, and pressed against Cindy's forehead._

_            Cindy began to scream, and light seemed to move to the figure's hand and was sucked up by it.  After a minute, Cindy stopped screaming, and she sank onto the pavement, dead.  The figure grinned and said, "Another soul added to my collection."_

            Prue gasped and shook her head.  'Why do my ears have to ring after these things?' she moaned inwardly.

            "You ok, Doc?" Cindy asked with a slight amount of concern in her face.

            "Um, yes, I'm fine," Prue said.  As Cindy walked back to her social worker, Prue looked down at her watch.  12:53...good.  "Liz, I'm taking my lunch break now," she said to her colleague.

            "See you later, Prue," Liz replied.

            Prue quickly walked to the elevators as Cindy was on her way down.  If what Prue saw in her vision was right, Cindy would be attacked in an alley not far from the hospital.

****

            "Hey, Pen, can you come help me with the groceries?" Patti asked at the front door.

            "Just a sec!" she yelled back.  Turning to Zack, she said, "I'll be right back."

            "It's ok," Zack said.  "As much as I was enjoying our conversation, at this rate I'll never get this sink fixed."  He chuckled as he grabbed another wrench from his toolbox.

            Penny just smiled to herself as she walked to the front door.  Outside, she saw Patti struggling to grab some backs from the trunk of her car.  "Hold it, I'll be right there!" she insisted as she ran down the driveway.  "No point in killing yourself just trying to get the groceries in the house."

            "Good point," Patti commented as they went back in the front door.  "Hey, I almost forgot to tell you.  There was an attempted robbery at the supermarket while I was there."

            "Oh my God, are you alright?" Penny asked.

            "I'm fine.  In fact," she added leaning closer to Penny so she could whisper, "I was the one who stopped it."

            "What?  How?" she hissed.

            "I orbed the guy's gun out of his hand and onto the floor," she said, smiling proudly.

            "Did anyone see you?" Penny asked.

            "Hey, I'm not that dumb, you know," Patti said with a tinge of indignation.

            "Hmmm...how did it feel?" Penny asked with a slight smile.

            "To save some innocents?  Pretty good," Patti commented.

            "Hey, girls," Zack said as he entered the living room.  "The sink's fixed."

            "Great, Zack, thanks so much," Penny said.

            "It's no problem," he said.  "Hey, Pen, I was wondering...you maybe want to get some dinner sometime or something?"

            Penny's mouth dropped open and then shut just as quickly.  She'd been hoping for this, but it still took her by surprise.  "I'd love to," she said, grinning.

            "Great.  How about Friday at 8:00?" he asked.

            "That's fine," she said as Zack walked out the door.  "Bye."

            Zack nodded and said, "See you later, Pen."

            After the door shut, Patti giggled and said, "Ooh, you're in love!"

            "Could be," Penny said dreamily.

****

            Prue followed Cindy and her social worker about a block behind, thankful that they hadn't seen her.  The last thing she needed was to have to explain why she was following them.

            As they approached the alley Prue had seen in her premonition, she tensed, ready for battle.  She just hoped she wouldn't be too late to save them.

            Prue rounded the corner just in time to see the demon throw the social worker's body to the ground like a rag doll.

            "Get away from me!" Cindy yelled.  "Somebody help!"

            "It's too late, my dear," the demon said.

            "Leave her alone!" Prue yelled as she charged down the alley.  The demon turned to face her just in time to receive a crushing blow.  The demon snarled and went after her.  Prue ran at the wall and levitated.  Pushing off the wall for force, she whirled and slammed a kick into the demons nose, shattering it.  Prue landed in front of Cindy to protect her.

            "Well, well, a witch," the demon snarled as he brought his hands up to catch the blood dripping from his nose.  "The next time we meet, I'll get the little girl's soul, and then I'll take yours."  The demon faded out.

            "What the HELL was that?" Cindy yelled.

            "I'll explain on the way," Prue yelled, yanking her cell out of her purse.

****

            Penny had just finished helping Patti put the groceries away when the phone rang.  "Hello?" she said.

            _"Pen, this is Prue," said the voice on the other end.  __"We've got trouble...Charmed Ones' kind of trouble."_

            "Oh, great," she said.  "What happened?"

            _"One of my patients, a little girl named Cindy, was attacked by a demon.  I'd had a premonition, so I managed to get there in time to stop the demon," Prue explained._  "Unfortunately, her social worker was killed before I got there, so I'm bringing her back to the Manor."__

            "Ok," Penny said.  "What do you need me to do?"

            _"Well, once I get there, I need to get right back to the hospital; this is only my lunch break.  I'll need you and Patti to keep an eye on her until I'm done.  In the meantime, take a look in the Book of Shadows and see if you can find anything on a demon that has a skull on his palm."_

            "Skull on his palm, got it," Penny said.

            _"Good," Prue said.  __"See you in about fifteen, ok?"_

            "Ok, sweetie.  Bye," Penny said as she hung up the phone.  "Patti!"

            "Yeah?" came the response down the stairs.

            "Can you bring down the Book of Shadows?  Prue just called.  We have an innocent on our hands," Penny said.

            "Sure, just a second," Patti replied.  She turned back to the book and finished the spell she was copying.  "You my friend are going to make me a star," she said to herself.

****

            The demon paced around in his chamber, frustrated as hell.  What a time for witches to get involved and thwart _his_ work!  And yet...something about that one puzzled him.  This witch must have known he was going to be there.  Her presence there was definitely not by chance.  And she levitated as well...

            The demon's head snapped up as a revelation came to him.  He quickly grabbed for a book on his desk and turned to a particular section.  As he read, a malicious smile spread over his face.  "Well, well...the Charmed Ones have been awakened at last."

****

            "Hey, I'm here!" Prue yelled as she and Cindy entered the Manor.

            "Good," said Penny as gave her sister a nod in greeting, "because haven't found the demon yet, and I've gone through half the freaking Book already.  I did see something interesting, though."

            "What did you see?" Prue asked curiously.

            "Well, the first half of the Book looks really, _really_ old," Penny pointed out.  "However, the other half..."  She showed many pages that seemed to be much newer than the other pages.

            "Think these are demons that our mothers fought?" Prue asked curiously.

            "Well, whether they are or not, did you notice the handwriting on these pages?  It's all the same," Penny pointed out.

            "Very interesting," Prue remarked.  Suddenly, she pointed at the page and said, "That's him!  That's the demon!"

            "_Xardor__, a demon that feeds on the souls of mortals for sustenance," Penny read.  "Yuck!  __Xardor__ drains his victim's soul through a skull tattoo on his palm.  The following spell and potion will be necessary to vanquish Xardor.  Well, I guess I could take a shot at brewing the potion, since I'm the best in the kitchen.  There were potion supplies up in the attic, right?"_

            "Yeah, there were some jars of herbs I saw," Prue replied.  "Listen, I really need to get back now."

            "But I really need someone to help me!" Penny cried.  "Patti had to run off to an audition at the last second, so I need you to help me."

            "Damn it!" Prue snapped.  "Sorry, Cindy," she apologized.

            "Ah, don't worry about it," she said.  "I've said worse."

            Prue chuckled.  "You know, you seem pretty calm in spite of everything that happened this afternoon."

            Cindy shrugged.  "I can't really explain it.  Maybe it's because I'm still basically a kid.  I doubt an adult would have accepted the fact that witches and demons really exist so easily."

            "You'd be surprised," Prue commented with a smile.  "Anyway, I just need to make a quick call to work.  I'll make up some kind of excuse."  She pulled out her cell and began to dial.  "And remind me to kill Patti later on for this."

****

            "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Patti said.

            "Yeah, yeah, whatever," said the producer.  "Just get on with it."

            Patti walked to the microphone.  As she did, she pulled out the spell she'd copied from the Book of Shadows entitled 'To Charm Others'.

            _Only kind words  
            Shall be said of me now  
            To me, all shall praise  
            To me, all shall bow_

            She faced the microphone and began to sing.  As she sang, she noticed the faces of the producer and his assistants change into broad grins.  By the time she finished the song, the producer was on his feet and clapping.

            "Miss Matthews that was fantastic!" he said enthusiastically.  "Can you come back on Monday to negotiate the details of your contract?"

            "Of course, and thank you very much!" she said, shaking his hand.  As she left, Patti thought, 'Who said being a witch isn't a big plus?'

            As she walked over to her car, she suddenly noticed people across the street suddenly stop and turn to look at her.  They flashed her big grins and started to run across the street.

            'Uh, oh,' she thought.  'Maybe that spell worked a little _too_ well.'

****

            "Okay, the ginger's in," Penny said.  "Now, I need two teaspoons of Wolf's Bane, and then it's done."

            "Two teaspoons of Wolf's Bane, check," said Prue.  As Penny dumped in the powder, she was blown back by a small explosion.  "Oh, oh, are you ok?"

            "Yeah, I will be," she groaned as she got up from the floor.  "How much was that?"

            "Um...I think I grabbed the tablespoon by mistake," Prue said sheepishly.

            Penny shook her head.  "You may be a kick-ass doctor, but you have a lot to learn about cooking, oh Fearless Leader."

            Cindy started laughing hysterically.  "Hey, you're supposed to be on my side, remember?" Prue said.

            Suddenly, the front door slammed open and shut, and Patti came flying up the stairs.  "Guys, I think I did something really stupid," she blurted.

            Prue rolled her eyes and said, "What did you do?"

            At that moment, there was a pounding on the front door, and Patti visibly jumped.  "I cast a spell to make the studio producer like my singing, and instead, it made _everybody_ want to hear me sing!  They were following me back here!  We've got to reverse this thing."

            "Ok, slow down," Prue said.  "It just so happens that I found a spell to nullify anything that we cast."  She flipped to the appropriate page.  "Here, read this, and it should be fine."

            Patti looked down at the page and read the spell.

_            Guided spirits  
            Hear our plea  
            Annul this magic  
            Let it be_

            Almost immediately, the pounding stopped.  "Thank God," Patti said, flopping onto the old couch.

            "You know, I probably should have mentioned this before," Prue said lamely.  "As witches, there are certain guidelines we're supposed to follow, and one of them is no personal gain with our magic.  Ergo, we cannot cast spells to get jobs."

            "Gee, I'd wish I'd known that before I nearly got run over by a mob," Patti said.

            "Uh, guys, the potion's bottled, and I've got the spell," Penny interrupted.

            "Good," Prue said.  She turned to Cindy and said, "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon."

            "That is correct, witches," Xardor said as he shimmered in.  He slammed his palm against Cindy's forehead.

            _"Pen, throw the potion!" Prue yelled._

            Penny threw the potion at Xardor, but to no apparent effect.

            "Damn, it must not do anything until we read the spell," she said as they gathered around the Book.

            _The souls once stolen  
            We now take back  
            And vanquish the soul  
            Of one so black_

            Xardor released his grip on Cindy as he burst into flames.  He screamed for several seconds before he exploded.

            "Way cool," Cindy said.

            "Come on," Prue said.  "I'm going to go call the orphanage so they can send someone for you."

            Cindy gave Prue a big hug.  "I won't forget you, Prue.  Come and visit me sometime, ok?"

            Prue blinked back the tears in her eyes and said, "You bet I will."

****

            Michael turned away from the pool of seeing with a satisfied smile on his face.  "They're learning," he commented to Cole.

            Cole nodded in agreement.  "You know it won't be long before they find out about the others," Cole mentioned.

            "I know," Michael agreed, "but it's best if they don't find out everything at once.  They still have a long road ahead."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Connections

CHAPTER 4:  Connections

            "Halliwell, party of three?" the hostess requested.

            "That's us," Prue said.

            "Would you follow me please?" she instructed.

            Prue, Penny, and Patti followed the hostess through the restaurant to their table.  Prue had decided to celebrate their first month of being witches by taking her cousins out to dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant.

            "Prue, this is really sweet of you," Penny said.  "You didn't have to do this."

            "I wanted to," Prue replied.  "You guys are the only family I have left, and I want you to know how special you are to me."

            "Oh, thanks, honey," Patti said, swallowing back her tears at the heartfelt statement.

            "You know, it just occurred to me that between all the demons and warlocks that have come after us in the past month, we've barely had a chance to catch up on the last nine years," Prue mentioned.

            "I can't believe it.  You're right," Penny realized.

            "I say we rectify that right now," Patti suggested.

            "I guess I'll go first," Prue said.  "After graduation, I went to CalTech to get my bachelor's degree in medicine, and then I went to this research facility in northern California called Biotech to do my doctorate work in microbiology.  After that, I came back to San Francisco and started working at SFGH."

            "No relationships to speak of?" Penny asked.

            Prue shook her head.  "Too much work to do," she answered, a tinge of sadness in her voice.  "It doesn't mean I'm giving up though."

            "Good," Penny said.

            "Prue, just out of curiosity, how did you pay to go to CalTech?" Patti asked.  "I mean, we barely had any money at all, and the State Care wouldn't pay for it."

            "Full scholarship," Prue said proudly.

            "Wow," Penny said, clearly impressed.  "How did that happen?"

            "Some foundation selected a student from the high school to get a full ride to the college of their choice, and they picked me," Prue said.

            "What was the foundation called?" Patti asked curiously.

            "Um, I think it was the Life-bearer Foundation," Prue said uncertainly.  Noticing the shocked looks on her cousins' faces, she asked, "What is it?"

            "That was the same foundation that paid for me to learn culinary arts in Paris," Penny said.

            "They paid for me to go to NYU," Patti added.

            "This is very, very interesting, that all three of us got scholarships from the same foundation," Prue mused.  "How about tomorrow we go check into this?"

            "I think I'm up for a little investigating," Penny said.

****

            "Hello, and welcome to the San Francisco Public Library.  How may I help you?"

            "We're like to use a computer for a while," Prue said.  "Can you tell us where we can find them?"

            "Down the hall and to the left," the lady at the desk replied.

            "Thanks," Prue remarked as she led her cousins to the computer lab.  She walked into the computer lab and got online.

            "Where are we going?" Patti wondered.

            "Here," Prue announced as she brought up the IRS home page.  "If this company is a charitable organization, I know the IRS has them on record.  Let me just..." Prue began, and trailed off as she typed in a few things.

            "Um, is this legal?" Penny whispered.

            "Sort of," Prue mentioned, "See, I have this computer whiz friend who sort of taught me a back door to the IRS so I could...alter my taxes a little."

            "Right..." Patti remarked with a grin.

            "This is weird," Prue finally stated.

            "What?" Penny demanded.

            "The Life-bearer foundation never paid taxes...which means the IRS doesn't know they exist," Prue replied.

            The cousins looked at each other with shock on their faces.  "This is getting very, very weird," Prue said.  "First, we find out that we all received scholarships from the same foundation, and now it appears that the foundation never existed.  What the hell is going on here?"

            "I don't know," Penny said.  "How about we check down at the high school?  They must have some kind of record of it there."

            "Good idea, Pen," Patti said as they got in the car.

****

            "Wow, this place feels so much smaller," Penny said as they walked through the halls of their old high school.

            "It probably has to do with the fact that we're a little bit taller than we were back then," Prue said, grinning.

            "Hey, Prue!  Look up there!" Patti said, pointing.

             Prue followed her arm to a picture on the wall.  _Prudence Halliwell, Valedictorian, Class of 2022, the plaque underneath the picture read.  "I always did like that picture," Prue said._

            "Ok, enough admiring yourself!" Penny chided.  "Let's head down to the main office."

            As the walked in the office, the secretary looked up and said, "May I...well, I'll be damned.  If it isn't Prue Halliwell herself!"

            "Hello, Mrs. Lamont," Prue said.  "I'm surprised you still remember me after all these years."

            "How could I not remember the best assistant in the world?" Mrs. Lamont countered.  Prue blushed.  "So, what can I help you girls with?"

            "Um, we were actually wondering about the scholarship that I got," Prue said.  "You still have records about that, don't you?"

            "Of course," Mrs. Lamont said, moving over to her computer.  "The district has to be meticulous about these things.  Let me just get you a print-out."  A few moments later, Mrs. Lamont handed Prue a couple of sheets of paper.  "Here you go."

            "Thanks, Mrs. Lamont," Prue said as they turned to go.

            "Always a pleasure to see you, Prue," Mrs. Lamont said.

****

            "Well, let's see what we've got," Prue said as they walked back outside.  "A scholarship in the amount of $50,000/year is awarded to Prudence Halliwell on behalf of the Life-bearer Foundation, a nonprofit organization owned by...Thomas Victor Smith."

            "Smith?" Penny repeated.  "Do you think he's a relative of yours?"

            "I don't know," Prue said.  "The name sounds so familiar, though."

            "Is there an address on there?" Patti questioned.

            "Not for the Foundation, but there is an address for him," Prue said.  "I think it's about time we paid Mr. Smith a visit."

****

            As the car pulled up to the address, Penny said, "Would you take a look at that..."

            The cousins were awestruck as they looked at the house – or mansion, for that matter.  It was _huge, and was tasteful in design.  They knew the man had to be rich, but they hadn't pictured something that big._

            "Let's go," Prue said.  The cousins got out of the car and walked up the sloping driveway to the front door.  Just as Prue was about to ring the bell, the doors opened of their own accord.  She swallowed.  "Ok, doors opening on their own means magic."

            "Uh, not necessarily," Patti said, pointing at a video camera mounted above them to the left.

            "How do we know he's not a demon or a warlock, for that matter?" Penny asked.

            "We don't, but we'll never know if we don't go in," Prue said.  "Besides, we have the Power of Three if we have to fight."  The cousins joined hands and walked into the foyer.  As they moved across the threshold, the doors closed behind them.

            The cousins looked around the huge hall, unsure of where to go.  Patti caught a flicker of light off the passageway to the left.  "Let's try this way," she suggested.

            The cousins moved down the corridor and into a very large living room.  A piano stood at the near end of the room.  Couches circled a glass table at the center of the room, and an oak desk was positioned at the far end.  The high back chair at the desk was facing the back of the room.  As the cousins approached the desk, a man's voice said, "Well, I was wondering when you three would show up."  They jumped slightly as the chair turned around to reveal a man of about thirty with black hair and deep brown eyes.  He looked at Prue, and a warm smile lit his face.  "Hello, sis, it's been a while."

            As though those words were a key, Prue felt the memories she'd been trying to unlock earlier slam into her.  "Oh my God...Tom..." she breathed.

            Thomas Victor Smith nodded and rose from his chair.  He walked around the desk and wrapped his younger sister in a tight hug while Penny and Patti stared at him in utter shock.  "It's so good to see you," Tom said.  "I've been looking forward to this for fifteen years."

            "I can't believe I almost forgot about you, when it seems you never forgot me," Prue said as she pulled back.  "I mean, you're my brother, and I didn't even remember that you existed..."  She looked down, ashamed.

            "Hey, it's ok," he said, gently wiping a tear off her cheek.  "You remember me now, and that's what's important."

            "Hey, I remember too!" Patti blurted.  "There was a boy who was picking on me when I was seven, and you threatened to kick his ass if he didn't stop."

            "Hey, I wasn't about to let a cousin down, was I?" Tom said with a grin.

            Prue fidgeted for a moment before asking, "So...what's been happening with you in the last fifteen years?"

            Tom gestured at the couches at the center of the room and they sat down.  "Well, I don't know if you remember or not, but Dad...well, he always wanted me to take over the business when I got older, so he put me into private school.  When I graduated, two years early, by the way, I went to Oxford, same as Dad, to study computer science and business.  When I was done, I came back and he took a year to train me to run the business, and then he left.  That was seven years ago."

            "That was the last time you spoke to him?" Prue asked.

            Tom nodded.  "He...just vanished, right off the face of the earth," Tom said.

            "Why did you give us the scholarships?" Penny asked.

            "Dad wanted me to look out for you, he made that much clear to me," Tom said.  "So, when I found out about how much difficulty you guys were going to have paying for college, I set up the Life-bearer Foundation to pay for it."

            "Why did you do it indirectly?" Patti asked curiously.

            "I think the more important question is why you didn't try to contact us," Prue said with more than a hint of anger in her voice.

            "There weren't supposed to be any direct links back to me, and for good reason," Tom explained.  "I _do know about your powers, you know."  The cousins' eyes widened.  "The point is that at that point in time, no one on the side of Evil knew that you three even existed yet.  As a living blood relative, __and having had powers of my own, any interaction I had with you before your powers were unbound could have been disastrous if any demons had been tracking me."  Tom sighed.  "I was only trying to protect you."_

            "You have powers too?" Prue questioned in a softer tone.  Tom's explanation had quenched the anger that had coursed through her.

            "Of course," Tom said matter-of-factly.  "They're not Charmed Ones' powers, though; those powers are only passed through women.  Actually..." he trailed off.

            "Dad," Prue blurted.  "_He_ had powers too, didn't he?"

            Tom nodded.  "Didn't Dad tell you about how he and Mom met originally?"  Prue shook her head.  "When Dad first met Mom, he was a witch himself...well, half-witch, technically."

            "What was the other half?" Prue asked.

            Tom hesitated a moment before answering, "Demon."

            _"What!?"_ Prue screeched.

            "It didn't matter, though," Tom quickly explained.  "Dad was raised up here, not in the Underworld, so his demonic powers became an extension of his total magical ability.  He was always a good man."

            "Does that mean I have some demon in me, too?" Prue asked.  The thought actually gave her a chilling sensation, to think that a little of the enemy was in her.

            "Actually no," Tom said.  "At one point, Dad...had his demonic powers stripped, so when that happened, he wasn't a demon in any sense after that.  You were born after that.  I was born before that, so I'm one-quarter demon, three-quarters witch, but all of my powers are ones that Dad had, not Mom."

            "What kinds of powers?" Penny asked.

            "Fireballs, telekinesis, shimmering, orbing, healing, and time manipulation," Tom said, "although using that last one takes some definite skill."

            Prue asked, "Did he train you at all?"

            Tom shook his head.  "He started to, right after..."  Tom trailed off, and Prue could see the struggle in his eyes.  "My powers started to fade," he continued.  "After six months, I was as mortal as the next guy."

            "Why?" Prue asked.

            An ancient pain welled up in Tom's eyes as he answered, "I don't know.  We never figured it out."

            Prue hesitated before asking her next question.  "Tom...what happened...to Mom?"  Penny and Patti leaned in closer, for they, too, were also eager to hear about their mothers.

            The pain in Tom's eyes intensified.  "I don't know..."  He looked down before saying quietly, "I wasn't there."

            Prue took her brother's hand in hers.  "It's ok...I just thought you might have remembered."  She cleared her throat.  "Anyway, we learned what we wanted to know...and I'm glad we found each other again."

            Tom looked up and gave his sister a watery smile.  "Me too, Prue," he said softly.

            The two siblings stood up and embraced for a minute.  "Will we see you again?" Prue asked as she pulled back.

            "I guarantee it," Tom said.

            He watched his sister and cousins as they left.  As the front door shut closed, he sensed a flaming behind him.

            "I knew Prue would find you," Michael said as he walked over to his son.  "She's a smart girl."

            "Good genes...from Mom's side," Tom commented with a slight smile.

            Michael chuckled grimly.  "It was wise of you not to tell them everything, as I'd suggested," he continued.  "They're not ready yet."

            Tom nodded, but added firmly, "Don't ask me to lie to my sister again.  I won't do it."

            Michael sighed in acquiescence as he flamed out.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. The Other Half

CHAPTER 5:  The Other Half

            Fifteen months ago...

            _"Come on, __Brandon__, do your homework," Mrs. Rosen said._

_            "Ah, Mom, come on," __Brandon__ complained.  "Five more minutes, please?"_

_            Mrs. Rosen shared a look with her husband.  Mr. Rosen shook his head and shrugged.  "Alright, five more minutes of TV, but that's it," she conceded._

_Brandon__ grinned and turned back toward the TV as his parents left the room.  He absorbed himself in the program.  Suddenly, he heard his mother scream, followed by an explosion.  "Mom!" he yelled as he ran up the stairs.  As he reached his parents' room, a second explosion knocked him off his feet.  He looked back to see a creature straight out of nightmare.  Brandon desperately wished he could escape this creature, before he met the same fate..._

****

            "Thanks for picking me up," Patti said as she got into Prue's car.  "I would have driven myself back, but Penny needed to borrow my car since hers is in the shop, and she just dropped me here on the way over to that restaurant..."

            "It's ok, I don't mind," Prue interrupted with a smile.  "Speaking of Penny, what do you think of her and Zack?"

            "I think they look good together," Patti replied.  "Penny is totally in love with him."

            "She swoons practically every time his name is mentioned," Prue said with a giggle.  "What about him?"

            "I don't know," Patti said.  "He's so hard to read sometimes.  One moment, he almost seems to be distancing himself from her, and the next, it seems like he'll never leave her for a moment.  Almost as though he's trying to protect her from something."

            "Yeah," Prue mused.  "It's almost as if..."

            Prue's words were cut off as a car slammed into her driver's side door.  The car flipped over a few times before coming to a halt in the street.  Patti groaned and dragged herself out of her window.  "Prue..." she said as she slowly walked around to the other side of the car.  _"Prue!"_ she yelled as she saw that her older cousin was motionless.  She managed to drag Prue out of the car and cradle her in her arms.  "Come on, Prue, just hold on," she begged.

            The sound of approaching footsteps made her look up.  She saw a kid of no more than fifteen approaching her.  The kid was wearing dirty, ripped clothing, and he had a look that spoke of a long time spent outdoors.  He bent over and gave Prue a curious look.

            "Please help us," Patti said a choked voice.

            Without a word, the kid moved his hands over Prue's body.  A soft, white glow emanated from the kid's hands.  Prue's eyes snapped open almost at once, and they widened as she saw what the kid was doing.  As soon as the glow stopped, the kid leapt up and began to run.  "Hey!" Prue yelled, but the kid didn't stop.  She got to her feet and took off after him.

            "Prue!" Patti yelled, but her older cousin didn't stop.  "This is _your_ car, you know!"

****

            The kid ran and ran.  'Oh, man, now they'll find me for sure,' he thought.  He stopped when he noticed he was in a dead-end alley.

            "Hey!"

            The kid whirled to see Prue standing behind him.  "What do you want?" he asked fearfully.

            "Just to talk," Prue said.  She noticed that the kid seemed to have a slightly emaciated look.  "Maybe I can buy you some lunch?  There's a McDonald's around the corner."

            The kid pondered for a moment.  "Ok," he said.  Prue lead him inside.

            After they got their food, Prue asked, "What's your name?"

            "Brandon," the kid answered.

            "Did you run away from home?" Prue continued.

            "Not exactly," Brandon answered uncomfortably.

            "What happened?" Prue asked gently.  She could see that something about the subject was causing him pain.

            "My parents were murdered," Brandon said softly.

            "I'm so sorry," Prue apologized.  "How did it happen?"

            "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Brandon said.

            "Did I freak out when you..." Prue lowered her voice.  "...healed me?"  Brandon shook his head.  "Trust me, I've seen plenty of weird things in the past few months."

            "Some kind of monster attacked them," Brandon said.  "It was horrible..."

            "This monster...what did it look like?" Prue asked.

            "I don't really remember," Brandon explained.  "I only got a glimpse of it.  The next thing I knew, I was outside of my house.  I ran off, and I haven't looked back since."

            "Interesting," Prue mused.  Suddenly, she groaned.  "Nature calls," she said with a smile.  "I'll be back in a minute."  Prue took her purse and left the table.

            As soon as Brandon saw the ladies' bathroom door shut, he got up and ran out of the restaurant.  In his haste, a picture of him and his parents landed on the seat.  A minute later, Prue came back to find Brandon gone.  "Damn it," she muttered under her breath.  She noticed the picture Brandon had left and went to pick it up.  As she grasped it, Prue was jerked into a premonition.

****

            _"It's taken me so long to catch up with you," the dark figure said.  __Brandon__ backed away in fear until he was against a tree.  "But I always find my prey," he continued, chuckling.  The figure formed a fireball, and in the firelight, his red eyes seemed to glow in contrast with his dark blue skin..._

****

            Prue gasped as the premonition ended.  "Oh, why now?" she grumbled, thinking of her wrecked car that was waiting for her on the street.  She ran outside, but there was no sign of Brandon anywhere.

****

            "Mmmm...that feels good," Penny sighed.  She was curled up with Zack on the living room couch, receiving a much needed neck massage.

            "I'm glad, because I could do this all day," Zack murmured as he planted a small kiss on the back of Penny's neck.

            "You're being too sweet for me to just sit still," Penny said as she twisted around to face her boyfriend.  Pressing her forehead gently against his, she continued, "These have been the best six weeks of my life."  She sighed again.  "I love you, Zack."

            "I love you too, Pen," Zack replied with a smile.  He leaned in to kiss her when suddenly the front door opened with a slam.

            "Penny, are you here?" Prue asked.

            "Yeah," Penny groaned as she and Zack got off the couch.  'Not the best timing you've had, cousin,' she thought.

            "We've got a...ohhhhh, wow, I'm sorry," Prue said, clearly embarrassed, as she saw Zack standing next to her.  "We've got a situation," she said, clearing her throat discreetly.

            "Great," Penny sighed.  Turning to Zack, she added, "Hopefully, I won't be too long."

            "It's ok, take your time," Zack replied with a smile.

            "Ooh, you're so sweet," Penny said with a small giggle as she and Prue left the room.

****

            Prue walked Penny into the foyer where Patti was waiting.  "So, what was so important that you had to...?"

            "First of all, my car is totaled," Prue said, cutting her younger cousin off.

            "Oh, God, I'm so sorry," Penny apologized.  "Are you ok?"

            "That's the other thing," Prue said.  Lowering her voice, she continued, "Some kid used magic to heal me."

            "What?" Penny almost screamed.

            "He took off afterward, but I had a premonition," Prue finished.  "He's going to be attacked by a demon somewhere in Golden Gate Park."

            "Can't you be a little more exact?" Patti asked.

            "No, but luckily for us, I don't have to be," Prue said with a smile.  "You've been working on your orbing, haven't you?"

            "Yeah...why?" Patti asked.

            "I think that if you had something to focus on," Prue said, showing her the picture of Brandon and his parents, "you could orb straight to him."

            "Alright, then, let's get to this," Patti said.  Seeing the sad look on Penny's face, she said, "He'll be here when we get back, you know."

            "I just hate having to run out on him like this," Penny muttered.  She followed her cousins outside, failing to see Zack standing just inside the threshold to the living room with a satisfied smile on his face.

****

            Brandon leaned against a tree, panting heavily.  "Gotta keep moving," he said to himself.  He started to run again.  All of a sudden, the air in front of him began to shimmer, and a large demon appeared.

            "It's taken me so long to catch up with you," the dark figure said.  Brandon backed away in fear until he was against a tree.  "But I always find my prey," he continued, chuckling.  The figure formed a fireball, and in the firelight, his red eyes seemed to glow in contrast with his dark blue skin.  Just as the demon drew his hand back to throw the fireball, a small explosion slammed him to the ground.

            "Leave him alone!" said a voice.  Brandon whirled to see the Charmed Ones standing off to the side.

            The demon got to his feet and glared at the cousins.  "Witches," he hissed.  He threw a fireball at them.

            "Fireball!" Patti called.  To her satisfaction, the fireball dissolved into blue-white orbs and reappeared in her hand.  She threw it as hard as she could at the demon.  The fireball hit the demon and slammed him against a tree.

            "This isn't over," the demon said.  Eyeing Brandon maliciously, the demon threw one last fireball at Brandon before shimmering out.

            "Watch out!" Prue yelled as the fireball flew threw the air.  To the cousins' utter shock and surprise, Brandon's body dissolved into blue-white orbs, and the fireball whizzed through where he'd just been standing.  Brandon reappeared a moment later.

            "What the hell?" Penny exclaimed.  "He orbed!"

            Prue moved to Brandon.  "Are you ok?" she asked.

            "Yeah," Brandon said, catching his breath.  "Thanks for saving me.  I'm sorry I ran before."

            "At least we were able to get here in time," Prue said.  "Come on, you can stay with us for a while."  Prue extended a hand.  Brandon hesitated a moment before taking it.  Prue led him over to where Patti and Penny were standing.  As the cousins joined hands, Patti concentrated, and the group orbed back to the Manor.

****

            The demon sat in his chamber, growling.  "The Charmed Ones will pay for their meddling," he muttered.  "That boy will be mine."

****

            "I think I've got the demon," Penny said.  "_Nikto__, a Koloth demon, whose powers include fireballs and shimmering.  Being an upper level demon, a piece of Nikto's flesh must be added to the following vanquishing potion.  Great, we have to make demon sushi."_

            "Why don't you get started on the main part of the potion now, so when he shows up, we'll be ready for him," Prue suggested.  As Penny went back downstairs,  Prue walked over to the couch where Brandon was sitting.  "So, are you a witch too, Brandon?"

            "I'm not sure," Brandon replied.  "My parents never really told me too much about my powers."

            "Well, Patti can orb too, so you must have something in common with her," Prue reasoned.

            "I think I've got something," Patti said indicating a page in the newer section of the Book.  "_The powers of orbing and healing are commonly attributed to a select group of magical beings called Whitelighters.  They are the Guardian Angels of witches, guiding them in the ways of the craft to insure their safety and the safety of innocents.  They also act as the chief informants to their charges on behalf of a senior group of Whitelighters known as the Council of Elders.  So, maybe your parents were Whitelighters?" Patti suggested to Brandon._

            "I don't remember my dad doing any magic, but my mom definitely had powers," Brandon said.

            "That probably means that my mom was at least part-Whitelighter, since I inherited orbing from her," Patti remarked.

            "I wonder who our Whitelighter is," Prue mused.

            "Ok, one vanquishing potion base, ready," Penny said, carrying a pot full of foul-smelling liquid into the attic.

            "Yuck!" Prue groaned, pinching her nose shut.  "Let's hope the demon shows up soon.  Otherwise, I'm gonna hurl."  As though in answer to her plea, Nikto shimmered into the room.

            "You won't escape me now, witches," Nikto said in a deep demonic voice.

            "I think you've got that backwards, buster," Penny said as she froze Nikto.  She then quickly rushed over and sliced a piece of his flesh off his right arm.  Nikto unfroze and howled in pain, but Penny had dropped the flesh into the pot.  Scooping out a cupful, she said, "Your turn to burn."  She threw the potion, which shattered at Nikto's feet.  He burst into flames, and howled for several seconds before he exploded.

            "You ok, Brandon?" Prue asked.

            "I guess," he said.  "At least, my parents' deaths are avenged now.  I don't know what I'm going to do now, though."

            "Well unfortunately, you're going to have to go into foster care," Prue said.  "Unless, you want to stay out on the streets, that is."

            A cold look came over Brandon's eyes, "It's better than the alternative."

            "How much longer can you live on the streets?" Prue pressed.  "A year, maybe two, before you are killed?  Foster care isn't perfect, but it's better than nothing."

            Brandon sighed, and said, "Maybe...I do have an aunt I could go to, up in Sacramento."

            "Come on, we'll call her right now," Prue insisted.  As she led Brandon off, Penny groaned.

            "What's wrong?" Patti asked.

            "Zack, I blew him off for this, what am I going to do?" Penny remarked.

            Patti grinned, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were really into him."

            Penny glared, "It's just that he's nice," she muttered defensively.  "Besides, it's nice to be going out with a normal guy."

***

            "I'm glad we finally found you," Aunt Helen mentioned.

            Brandon sighed, and said, "I guess..."

            Aunt Helen caught the sigh, and turned, "I truly am sorry about your parents.  I miss my sister dearly."

            Brandon fought back tears as he nodded, and changed the subject, "Where are we going?"

            Aunt Helen smiled, "I've hired a social worker to help you get adjusted to Sacramento.  He's really nice."

            "I don't know.  Do I have to?" Brandon demanded.

            Aunt Helen nodded, "It really is important.  Trust me?"

            Brandon shrugged.  "Alright, where is the guy?"

            "Right here," a voice said behind him.  Brandon and Helen turned to see a young man with light brown hair and blue eyes.  The man smiled and held out his hand.  "My name is Zack.  It's nice to meet you."

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
